1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of video games and more specifically in to field of video games provided over a computing network.
2. Related Art
Video games can generally be divided into two types, those that are provided locally and those that are provided over a computing network. Examples of video games that are provided locally include those played on a stand-alone game console such as the X-box™ by Microsoft™, the Game-Boy™ by Nintendo™ and the PlayStation™ by Sony™. These stand-alone game consoles include computing instructions configured to receive player input, to manage a state of the game, and to generate an image for display to the player. The stand-alone game consoles may also include a display on which the image is displayed, as in the Game-Boy™, or may be configured to output an analog video signal to an external display, as in the PlayStation™
Examples of video games that are provided over a computing network include those that are played via the internet using a personal computer. These video games are provided using a remote server configured to send game state information and limited image information to clients via the computing network to one or more clients. The clients are configured to use the state information and limited image data to render an image that is displayed to a player. For example, the information sent by the remote server may include the locations of various objects in three dimensions and textures to be applied to these objects. The client will render an image using this information and a point of view of the player.
FIG. 1 illustrates a Game System of the prior art generally designated 100 and configured to provide a video game over a computing network. Game System 100 includes a Game Server 110 configured to communicate with one or more Client 115 via a Network 120. Game Server 110 receives player inputs from Client 115 and sends state and limited image information to Client 115. These player inputs, which may be received from multiple Clients 115, are used to maintain a game state and a may include, for example, commands to move, shoot, speak, or select an object. Game Server 110 sends state information and limited image information to Client 115 via Network 120. This limited image information is limited in that it includes merely surface textures, colors or images that have not yet been rendered to an image based on a specific point of view. As such, this limited image information must be rendered prior to display to a player. Generally, Game Server 110 is considered part of the server side of Game System 100 and Clients 115 is considered part of the client side. Server side and client side are defined relative to different sides of Network 120.
Game Server 110 includes a Global State Memory 125, Game Logic 130 and a Network Interface 135. Global State Memory 125 is configured to store a global state of the game. In a multi-player game this global state is based on player inputs received from multiple Clients 115. The global state includes, for example, positions and characteristics of player avatars, game objects, non-player characters, and the game environment. Game Logic 130 includes software, hardware or firmware configured to modify the global state in response to commands received from players and the current global game state. For example, Game Logic 130 can include rules of how avatars can interact with each other or the environment. Network Interface 135 is configured to convey all or part of the global game state and limited image information to one or more Client 115 via Network 120. Network Interface 135 is configured to communicate using, for example, TCP/IP protocols. An avatar is a game character representative of or controlled by a player.
Client 115 includes a Player Interface 140, a Local State Memory 145, an Image Renderer 150, Game Logic 155, and an optional Display 160. Player Interface 140 includes for example, a keypad, joystick or other input device. Local State Memory 145 is configured to store the state information received from Game Server 110. This state information may be modified by Game Logic 115 responsive to commands received via Player Interface 140. Any modification of the state information stored in Local State Memory 145 is typically communicated to Game Server 110 such that Global State Memory 125 can be updated accordingly.
Image Renderer 150 is configured to render an image based on the state information stored in Local State Memory 145, the limited image information received from Game Server 110, and a point of view of a player. For example, Image Renderer 150 may be configured to render an image from a point of view of a player's avatar based on three dimensional relationships between various other avatars, game objects, and non-player characters, and the game environment. Image Renderer 150 produces an image that can be displayed to a player using Display 160. Image Renderer 150 can include video processing logic such as that found in the GeForce Go 7900 GS by nVidia Inc. Typically, the memory and computing power available to Image Renderer 150 determines the quality and speed of images displayed to a player.
Display 160 may be part of a separate device such as a television set.